Epicurious: Over and above meat and potatoes

Players Chophouse takes over former Morgan’s location in Creekside

Creekside’s culinary options keep getting better and better,
and as someone who lives within five minutes walking distance of Franz’s Trail
I couldn’t be happier. First, we had the addition of Nita Lake Lodge’s new fine
dining restaurant, Jordan’s Crossing, then Hoz’s and El Tipo’s changed hands
and were transformed, and now, Players Chophouse Restaurant and Lounge is set
to open its doors.

The Chophouse is a series of restaurants owned by a group of
businessmen and professional athletes, like NFL player Mitch Berger, NHL alumus,
Steve Passmore and many more.

“We have hockey players and Olympians and business owners, and
that’s where the Players name comes from,” said Wendy Derzai, director of
marketing and sales.

They’ve purchased the former digs of Morgan’s Restaurant and transformed
the interior using stockyard legacy and alpine lounge decor, creating a space
which can accommodate 300 guests in the dining room and an additional 50 on
each of the two patios.

Over the past month and a half, they’ve been busy installing
hardwood floors, a massive bar that runs the entire length of the room
upstairs, and seven flat screen TVs, not to mention refacing all of the
fireplaces and removing the chandelier that hangs in the front window.

Whew, that sounds like a lot of work — enough to work up
a bit of an appetite.

I don’t find myself craving a sumptuous steak very often, but a
quick glance at their menu tells me that, even if I’m not in a carnivorous
mood, I could find something to satisfy my hunger.

Their offerings for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner cater
to a myriad of tastes, and even some tighter budgets.

“We actually are changing the menu slightly for Whistler, in
order to take into account local fare and produce,” Derzai added, explaining
that they will also be offering a daily fresh sheet that includes produce from
surrounding communities.

The Chophouse concept is actually a bit of a twist on a
traditional steakhouse.

“We’re a casually elegant steakhouse,” she said, adding that
their concept is based on the American chophouse, which offers specialty cuts,
but in a laidback atmosphere.

If you love beef, welcome to heaven. The Chophouse carries the
highest grade of meat available on the market — prime steak.

“Only two per cent of cattle are ever deemed prime,” Derzai
explained, “There’s nobody (else) in Whistler that carries it.”

Apparently, when meat is this good, any idiot could cook it,
and it would still taste amazing.

But the Chophouse’s bottom line seems relatively simple:
offering a quality product at a reasonable cost. And they also want to appeal
to a wide range of clientele, not simply wealthy tourists who are visiting
town.

“We want to be part of the fabric of the community,” Derzai
said. “We don’t want to be a company that comes in and just sort of says,
‘well, you guys have the tourists right here, so we’re going to gear to them.’
That’s not what keeps a business sustainable.”

It certainly sounds like they’ve thought out all aspects that
go into creating the perfect Whistler dining experience — it’s
family-friendly, with a complete kid’s menu, perfect for skiers, with a holding
area in the front of the house to store gear, and there’s even an entertainment
aspect, with live music in the lounge.

“We’ve done this a couple times,” Derzai said with a laugh.

They had originally hoped to open in September, but have been
waiting for their licensing to be approved. Now, they are gearing up to open
for business in late October or early November. Sharpen your steak knives.

Extra helpings

Samurai Sushi is taking another step to try help the
environment. The eco-conscious restaurant has already switched to bamboo
chopsticks and biodegradable containers and now, they’re trying to discourage
customers from using plastic bags to take their orders home by charging 15
cents per bag.

Wendy Gabelhouse manages both of the Samurai locations in town.

She said the new fee is their way of encouraging customers to
bring their own cloth bags, and think twice about whether they really need to
use a plastic bag. If they decide to take one anyways, the 15-cent fee will be
given to AWARE.

“We don’t take any of it. We still buy the bags, which are like
double the price, but we just feel that… everyone has to do their part, and we
want it to be a positive experience for our customers,” she said.

Though Gabelhouse is expecting it could take a while for people
to get into the habit of bringing their own bags, so far, the response to their
new policy has been overwhelmingly positive.